The Wall in the Middle of the Book by Jon Agee (review)

A big brick wall, straddling the book's gutter, divides the left and right sides of each spread. That's a good thing, according to the little knight on the left side who's climbing a ladder to repair the brick, because it keeps the left side safe from the dangerous ogre on the right side, who apparently has a taste for little knights. Meanwhile, the art shows water rising on the "safe" side of the wall and disturbingly predatory creatures swimming in it. When the little knight loses his balance and splashes into the water ("This is not supposed to happen on this side of the wall!"), it's the helpful ogre who plucks him out, hoists him over to the dry side, and tells him the truth: "This side of the book is fantastic!" Adults will see in this an allegory about other prominent walls of our time, but the story stands on its own as a funny tale about perspective and received wisdom, and it's amusing that the little knight isn't just blinkered about the other side but wrong about the safety of his own. The art is the real joke delivery system here, and viewers will want to pay close attention to the Klassen-esque fish drama unfolding on the left side as the knight lands safely on the right (they may also catch an echo of Sendak's wild rumpus in the knight's romp with the animals on the "dangerous" side). The crisp outlines of the mixed-media art against the white backgrounds keep the foreground action central, while the softness and translucency of the colors keep the scary dangers from being too scary. You could use this to prompt discussion or just as a way to make youngsters dream of having their own ogre pal. DS